Fire-escape.



PATENTBD JULY5, 1904.

G. BLUMENTHAL.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14.` 193.

' 2 BHBBTB-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

ll /ll/ PATENTED JULY 5, 1904. G. BLUMENTHAL.

FIRE ESCAPE.

PPLIGATION FILED AUG. 14. 190s.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

wnNEss'Es: JU- WLM UNITED STATES .vatented July 5, 1904.

GUSTAV BLUMENTHAL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 764,339, dated July 5, 1904.

Application filed August 14, 1903. Serial No. 169,429. (No model.)

To (1r/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known lthat I, GUSTAV BLUMENTIIAL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following' is al My invention consists in certain novel del tails of construction and combination of parts, as will hereinafter. appear, and particularly in a novel means for controlling' the operation of the lifeline.

The object of my invention is to permit the ready escape from a window situated at a distance above the ground of a person in danger' and to provide that the device shall be always in the control of the person thus escaping and at the same time provide that the device may be controlled by persons other than the one escaping.

Iwill now proceed to describe a lire-escape embodying my invention and will then point out the novel features in claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a iire-eseapc embodying my invention with the casing thereof shown in section and the door swung open. Fig. 2 is a view in transverse horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the controlling mechanism therefor. Fig. 4 is a detail View, on an enlarged scale, of the rewinding mechanism. Fig. 5 is a detail view, in transverse section, longitudinally of the windingshaft of the mechanism shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 6 is a view of a window and framing, showing my improved device in connection therewith. Fig. 7 is a view in longitudinal vertical section through the window and casing and show ing my improved device inside elevation. Fig. 8 is a detail view showing a portable form of my improved fire-escape.

In the embodiment of my invention herein shown I provide a casing 1, within which 1` suitably journal a winding-drum 2. 'Ihe winding-drum 2 is provided with a spur-gear 3, geared through a train of gearing 1, with a iiy-fan 5 also suitably journaled in the said casing.

I supply the wirnling-drnrn 2 with a lifeline 6, te the lower end of which is attached a belt 7. r1`he belt 7 maybe secured around the waist of a person desiring to escape or may be otherwise attached as desired. `The train of gearing 4 and the ily-fan 5, operatively connected with the windingdrum 2, will prevent the weight of the person escaping from causing the drum to rotate too quickly, and hence will cause the life-line to 4be paid out only at a safe speed. The weight of the person opposed by the time-train and ily-fan will rotate the drum.

In order to control the operation of the .drum Q-that is to say, in order to provide ated in one direction by a spring 11 and is provided with a pawl 12, adapted to engage with the teeth of a ratchet-wheel 13. The ratchet-wheel 13 is loosely mounted upon the said stud 29 and is rigidly secured to another ratehet-wheel 14, also loosely mounted upon the said stud. A stop-pawl 15, pivoted at 1G to a portion stationary with the casing and spring-actuated by means of a spring 17 in one direction, engages the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 14; and at certain times also the teeth of a spur gear-wheel 18, included in the train of gearing 4. The ratchet-wheel 14 is arranged with alternate 4shallow and deep teeth, the pawl 15 being adapted to engage therewith, and in Fig. 3 is shown in engagement with one of the deep teeth. I/Vhen in engagement with one of the deepteeth, the said pawl is adapted to engage "also the teeth of the spur gear-wheel 18. The depth of the shallow teeth of the ratehet-wheel 14 is such, however, that when the pawl 15 is in engagement therewith it will be held out of engage ment with the teeth of spur gear-whe`el1h IOO From the foregoing it will follow that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 that is, when the pawl engages a deep tooth of the ratchet-wheel 14, and consequently the teeth of the spur-wheel 18-the gearing will be locked against movement and the drum 2 will beheld against rotation, while at such times as the pawl is held out of engagement with the gear-wheel 18 by its engagement with a shallow tooth of the ratchet-wheel 14 the train of gearing, and hence the drum,vwill be free to revolve. The ratchet-wheel 13 is provided with the same number of teeth as the ratchet-wheel 14, and hence if the lever 8 is reciprocated by a pull and release of the cord 10 the ratchet-wheels 13 and 14 will be advanced the distance of one tooth each and the condition of the apparatus changed from locked to unlocked or from unlocked to locked position. The cord 10 will preferably hang clear to the ground, so that the device will be under the control of the person descending at any point in his descent. A pull upon the cord at any moment will make a change from the last condition. Hence if a person is descending it is merely necessary to pull on the cord to stop, and a subsequent pull on the cord will again start the device in operation. The cord extending to the ground may also be operated by persons other than the person descending', so that should the person descending become unconscious the device may still be operated by others.

For the purpose of rewinding the life-lineA upon the drum 2 I have provided an operating-sprocket 19, connected rigidly with the pinion 20, which meshes with the spur-gear 3. An endless chain 21 engages the sprocketwheel 19 and hangs down in a loop, so that it may be easily grasped by hand, and is so employed for the purpose of rotating the drum 2 for rewinding the life-line thereon. The sprocket-wheel 19 and pinion 2O are secured together upon a sleeve 22, loosely mounted upon the shaft 9. It would be undesirable in rewinding to operate the time-train of gearing', and hence I have interposed between the pinion 2O and the remainder of the gearing leading to the fly-fan a ratchet-and-pawl device which connects the time-train of gearing with the drum in its unwinding direction only and frees the same from connection while being' wound. The ratchet-wheel 23 is rigidly secured to the shaft 9, to which the spur gear-wheel 18 is also rigidly secured, and the pawls 24 are carried by a support 25, secured to the sprocket-wheel 19 and the wheel 22. Then unwinding, the pawls 24 engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 23 and lock the pinion 2O to the shaft 9 with the spur-gear 18, and hence the time-train is in operative connection at such time with the drum 2. In rewinding the support 25, carrying the pawls 20, is rotated in such a direction as to cause the pawls to travel freely over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 25, whereby the drum will be rotated through the pinion 2O and spur-gear 3 without necessary movement of the remainder of the gearing back to the fly-fan. By this arrangement not only will rewinding of the drum 2 be very much easier and quicker, but by reason of the fact that the locking or stop pawl 15 engages the spur-gear 18 to lock the drum against unwinding such rewinding may be effected while the stop-pawl is in its locked position.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the casing 1 of the device as provided at its lower side with a hinged door 26. YV hen not in use, the free end of the life-line 6, with its belt 7, the free end of the controlling-cord 10, and the free end of the rewinding-chain 21 may all be contained within the casing and the door 26 closed. When it is desired to use the device, it is merely necessary to open the door 26 and the before-mentioned parts will drop out ready for use.

In the first seven figures I have shown the device secured to the upper end of a Windowframing. In Fig. 8 I have shown the device as portable and provided with a hook 27, by which it may be hooked onto the windowframing or secured to a piece of furniture or anywhere else, as may be desired. In this form of my device in place of the sprocketwheel 19 and chain 21 I preferably continue the sleeve 22 to the outside of the casing 1 and socket the end thereof, as at 28, for the reception of a rewinding-key.

It will be obvious that the foregoing' is but one embodiment of my invention and that the same is capable of many and varied modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention, and, further, that certain parts may be employed in connection with other parts of different construction. Hence I do not desire to be limited only to the precise details of construction and combination of parts herein.

Vhat I claim is- 1. In a fire-escape the combination with a life-line, a winding-drum therefor, and means connected with .the drum for checking the speed of rotation thereof, of a controller, and mechanism operated by similar successive movements of the said controller to alternately stop and release the said winding-drum.

2. In a {ire-escape the combination with a life-line, a winding-drum therefor, and a train of gearing connected with the drum for checking the speed of rotation thereof, of a controller and mechanism operated by similar successive movements of the said controller to alternately stop and release the said winding-drum.

3. In a fire-escape the combination with a life-line, a winding-drum therefor, and a train of gearing connected with the drum for checking the speed of rotation thereof, of a controller, a stop-pawl for said controller, and

IOO

IIO

mechanism operated by similar successive movements of said controller to alternately raise and lower said paWl.

1. In a tire-escape the combination with a life-line, a Winding-drum therefor, and a train o'l' gearing connected With the drum for cheeking the speed of rotation thereof, of a springreturned controlling lever, a pavvl carried thereby, a wheel operated by said pawl, said Wheel having alternate deep and shallow teeth, a stop-pawl engaging said teeth, said pavvl also adapted to engage teeth oi' said gearing when in engagement With said deep teeth and to escape engagement with the teeth of said gearing when in engagement with said shallow teeth.

5. In a {ire-escape, the combination with a 

